Paid In Full [Deluxe Edition] (CD)

Eric B. & Rakim

Currently Unavailable

$29.98

SHIPS FREE in U.S.

Amoeba Review

BillyJam 05/26/2014

Two words come to mind when I think of this Eric B & Rakim album: holy shit. It's an amazing work in and of itself with each track oozing perfection and Rakim proving from the get-go that he's one incredibly gifted emcee. This album helped usher in a whole new era (the golden era) in hip-hop. 45.5 minutes in length, Paid In Full's ten songs are raw and totally satisfying hip-hop. "Eric B is on the cut and my name is Rakim," from "Eric B is President" is not just an eleven word sentence. That well known (and sampled) phrase has long been cemented into the lexicon of hip-hop, as have many of Rakim's other influential lyrics such as “You thought I was a donut. You tried to glaze me” from the same song. "Eric B. Is President" was just one of five singles off the ten track album, which was essentially a kind of hip-hop Singles Going Steady collection. The four others - "I Ain't No Joke," "I Know You Got Soul," "Move the Crowd," and "Paid in Full" - are all equally classic. Note: this was 1987 when the DJ still was equally prominent to the emcee in hip-hop and hence the prevalence of DJ tracks (30%) including "Eric B Is On The Cut," "Chinese Arithmetic," and the closing "Extended Beat."